Miguel Freitas, Ph.D., has been studying probiotics for 20 years and now serves as Vice President of Scientific Affairs at Danone North America, a company that offers multiple probiotic-rich products that primarily beneficially affect the structure and function of the gastrointestinal tract. Recently having undergone a big transformation in the US, Danone now includes plant-based products in addition to dairy products, all of which are extremely well-known, such as Silk, Activia, and Dannon yogurt.

Freitas discusses what it is about yogurt that makes it a particularly good medium for beneficial bacteria, the necessary distinction between probiotics and general cultures, the different strains of beneficial bacteria and how each interact with the body differently, the involvement of the human microbiome in disease and the gut-brain interaction, and how probiotic research has evolved in recent years based on new information we’ve learned about the microbiome.